The role of the state in a context of decentralization of education

In recent years, decentralization has become one of the most popular policies within public service management: countries with very different characteristics have all adopted, in policy if not yet in practice, this ambitious and complex reform.

Behind the popularity of the concept of decentralisation lies a wide diversity of actual policies: deconcentration, devolution, delegation, school based management, school self-governance, privatization or charter schools. Policy-makers hope that these policies will contribute to:

• alleviate the financial burden on the state,
• ensure more efficient management,
• increase the ownership of actors at different levels,
• improve education quality.

These objectives however have not always been attained. One core explanation lies in the fact that many countries have adopted decentralisation policies without paying sufficient attention to the challenges faced by local actors such as district administrators or school leaders and to the strategies needed for the successful implementation of decentralization.

More attention has therefore been given in recent years to the analysis of the implementation of decentralisation at the local level, especially in developing countries. IIEP undertook research in this regard during its previous Medium-Term Plan (2002-2007), focusing on the functioning of local education offices and schools in a context of decentralization, in different regions (West Africa and Asia). 

A key lesson leant from this research as well as from the literature is that decentralisation does not imply abandonment by the state, but rather a change in its role. There are prerequisites to the successful implementation of decentralisation policies, in particular:

• a clear distribution of authority and accountability between levels and actors,
• the strengthening of an appropriate information system,
• the capacity-development of local actors,
• a change in institutional culture throughout the administration.

The results of this research are available in a publication and in various articles (see box right).

Research is still needed to deepen these results. During its present Medium Term Plan, IIEP will focus its analysis on the role played by the state at the central and local levels in the implementation of decentralization policies. Within this wide area, two themes will receive specific attention:

• Local education offices and schools receive in many countries more authority. Little is known on how they use this authority and if this has allowed for more effective management. The research will examine who monitors the functioning of local offices and schools, how monitoring is done, how effective it is and what impact it has on educational policy objectives. 
• Financial resources are in any system a source of power. The distribution of these resources, the autonomy of use, the control systems and the purposes for which they are used are all key interrogations within the debate on financial decentralization.

Research on the first theme will be carried out in 2008-2009 in three Eastern and Southern African countries, with the support of the Education Programme Development Fund (EPDF) of the Fast-Track Initiative (FTI).